Monitoring the Playground


Tutorial Home >Internet >Basics >Keeping Your Kids Safe Online >How do I make sure the Emails my child receives are safe?
Tutorial Home >Internet >Security >Keeping Your Kids Safe Online >How do I make sure the Emails my child receives are safe?
Tutorial Home >Internet >Basics >Keeping Your Kids Safe Online >Joining Safe Kids Communities >Monitoring the Playground
Tutorial Home >Internet >Security >Keeping Your Kids Safe Online >Joining Safe Kids Communities >Monitoring the Playground

  Step 1:  Keep An Eye Out

Keep in mind that even though the best online communities go to great lengths to secure their online space, your child's online life still requires some adult supervision.
  Step 2:  Monitoring Your Child's E-mail

Look for an online community that gives parents the option to monitor their child's use of e-mail. For instance, parents of child-users are supplied with a special password so they can create and modify the list of accounts that their children are allowed to receive e-mail from. This way, if a stranger attempts to contact your child and he or she is not on the list, the e-mail is automatically routed to your e-mail account.
  Step 3:  Check Out the Neighborhood

Kids communities are chock-full of materials to entertain and educate. They offer puzzles, contests, stories and invite your kids to join in on the fun and win top honors in the community. Have your child show you what they've done in the neighborhood, whether it be build their own home page, write for the paper or get an online job.
  Step 4:  Keep It Current

See to it that the site is keeping abreast of current events and especially, regulations that involve children. For instance, the FTC is very involved in securing the Internet for children, and new regulations are being created on an ongoing basis. See to it that your kid's community is aware of, and implementing them.